Fmr. Lonsdale Debt Collector Indicted For Bank, Mail & Wire Fraud

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 34-year-old former debt collector from Lonsdale has been indicted for bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud, the United States Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

Khemall Jokhoo was charged with 11 counts of bank fraud, nine counts of mail fraud 10 counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of false personation of an officer or employee of the United States. The indictment was filed Dec. 18, 2012.

From February 2002 until June 30, 2009, Jokhoo was registered as a debt collector with the State of Minnesota. He was also the founder, owner and sole employee of First Financial Services, Inc., which held a Minnesota collection agency license until Nov. 3, 2009.

According to the indictment, Jokhoo executed a scheme to fraudulently obtain money from individuals and financial institutions.

Jokhoo allegedly utilized the various resources available to debt collectors to gather information regarding individuals, including dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, employment and financial information. He allegedly contacted victims and falsely told them they had past due debts that they owed him. He would also sometimes make threats against the victims, placed multiple calls to the victims at unreasonable hours of the day and contacted the victims’ families or employers as a way to induce payments from the victims.

The indictment adds that Jokhoo fraudulently and falsely posed as the victims in communications with the financial institutions during which he would request the issuance of checks payable to First Financial.

If convicted, Jokhoo faces a potential maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of bank fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud. He also faces up to two years in prison for each count of aggravated identity theft and a up to three years for one count of false personation of an officer or employee of the United States.